BPz-2 1

The Bergepanzer 2 is an armored recovery vehicle (ARV) developed by West Germany, based on the chassis of the Leopard 1 main battle tank. It is designed to provide battlefield recovery, maintenance, and repair support for armored units, including towing disabled vehicles and performing field repairs.

Developed in the mid-1960s by Porsche, the Bergepanzer 2 was created to replace obsolete American M74 recovery vehicles and provide the West German Bundeswehr with a highly mobile support vehicle capable of keeping pace with modern armor. The vehicle officially entered service in 1966, with hundreds of units produced for Germany and various NATO allies. It saw operational deployment during peacekeeping missions in the Balkans during the 1990s and has recently been supplied to Ukraine to assist in recovering damaged armored vehicles. Although partially succeeded by the heavier Bergepanzer 3 in modern German service, the Bergepanzer 2 remains active in numerous militaries worldwide as a reliable combat engineering workhorse.